Process of preparing rubber from hydrocarbons.



ED sTA Es PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD B. EARLE, 0E BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, Assrenon To noon RUBBERCOMPANY, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed November 12, 1910. Serial No. 592,098.

To all 207mm it may concern Be it known that I, :RICIIARD B. EARLE,acitizen of the United States, residing at Boston, Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes ofIreparingRubber from Hydrocarbons, of which the following is aspecification. I 1 1 The object of the invention is to prepareartificial rubber from hydrocarbons in a commercially practicablemanner, and the invention consists in the process hereinafter describedand defined in the appended claims.

According to my invention, I convert liquid unsaturated hydrocarbonsinto rubber by polymerization.

I have found that certain hydrocarbons, to wit isoprene and homologuesof the same, may be polymerized by the use of certain agents which areapplied in conjunction with heat into artificial rubber. As chemicalsfor the conversion of the same, I can use any alkaline agent, such ascaustic alkalis, ammonia, or substituted amins, or amino or iminocompounds.

In order to effect the conversion of the hydrocarbons into rubber, Iproceed as follows: The mixture of the alkaline agent and. thehydrocarbon is heated for a suitable under the pressure of isoprenevapor for the 40 temperature stated, the yield being approximately 30%.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described method of producing artificial rubber whichconsists in saturating a hydrocarbon of the homologous series of which1.3-butadien is the lowest member. with ammonia gas and subjecting thesame to heat and pressure.

2. The hereinbefore described method of producing artificial rubberwhich consists in saturating isoprene with dry ammonia gas andsubjecting the same to heat and pressure, substantially as described.

\ In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

RICHARD B. EARLE. Witnesses:

JAMES M. SPEAR, 4 WILLIAM \V. FIRMEN.

As a specific example, 1 35

